Mee Rebus

Mee Rebus is a Malay-Indian (Mamak) style noodle with a spicy potato-based gravy. It is another popular hawker's delight in Malaysia. The term, "Mamak", is an expression used in Malaysia to describe the Indian Tamil Muslim community and culture.

 

Ingredients: (serve 4-6)
500 gm fresh yellow noodles, blanched (substitute for spaghetti if not available)
1 lb prawns, shelled (keep the shells for stock)
Curry spice: (grind together)
1 medium red onion, chopped
1-inch piece of ginger
2-inch piece of galanger (or 2 tsp. galangal powder)
5 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. coriander powder
1-2 Tbsp. chili powder (adjust to your taste)
2 tsp. cumin powder
2 tsp. turmeric powder
3 sprigs Indian curry leaves
1 Tbsp. tamarind paste (or Sinigang tamarind mix powder)
salt and sugar to taste
4 Tbsp. oil
Gravy:
2 medium sized sweet potatoes (peeled, boiled and mashed)
6 cups prawn stock (made by boiling unshelled prawns)
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 cup coconut milk
1 stalk lemon grass, cut in halves
Garnishing:
Bean sprouts, scalded
4 eggs, hard boiled and sliced
2 small potatoes, boiled with skin on and quartered)
Fried tofu, fried and sliced
Spring onions, chopped
3 lemon or limes, sliced
20 shallots, sliced and deep fried
2 red chillies, sliced
Method:
1. In a saucepan, heat a tablespoon of oil and cook shelled prawns. Remove and slice into halves when cool enough to handle. Return pan to the stove and add another tablespoon of oil and fry prawn shells until fragrant. Add in 6 cups of water and simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Remove stock and set aside for later.
2. Heat a tablespoon oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir fry the curry ingredients, curry leaves, and lemon grass until fragrant about 10-15 minutes.
3. Drain prawn stock into a larger pot and bring to a boil. Add in the curry paste, mashed potatoes, tomato sauce, tamarind paste, and coconut milk. Stir well to mix. Lower heat to simmer on low for another 15 minutes until gravy is smooth without lumps. Add a little more water or chicken stock if it is too thick, but not too much. Season to taste with with salt and a pinch of sugar. (The taste is should be spicy and lightly sour)
4. To serve, place blanched noodles and bean sprouts into individual bowls. Pour hot gravy on top and garnish with tofu, eggs, potatoes, and lime. Note: Serve with sambal chili on the side for added spiciness.
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Seafood Noodle Soup with Pickled Sour Mustard

This is one of my favorite dish to make whenever I have the craving for something sour and appetizing.
Ingredients:
4-5 calamari, sliced
1 piece fish fillet, sliced
Rice vermicelli noodles, pre-soaked in water
1 piece 2-inch ginger, julliened
1 package pickled sour mustard
3-4 cups chicken broth
1 stalk spring onions, chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1-2 Tbsp. tamarind powder (Sinigang)
Method:
1. Rinse the sour mustard greens well and squeezed off excess water. In a frying pan heat some oil and fry it with some ginger until fragrant for about 8-10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook vermicelli according to package instruction. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat chicken broth with rest of ginger and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes, spring onions and tamarind powder. Season to according to your taste. Bring the soup to a fast boil again and add in the fish and cuttlefish to cook.
4. To serve, add noodles into individual bowls and scoop hot broth along with vegetables and seafood on top. Serve warm.
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Shanghai Noodles Soup in Brown Meat Sauce

When I have a craving for noodles, I usually cook a bowl of this Shanghainese noodle soup. It is a simple dish of meat and pickled mustard greens in brown sauce. I had this many years ago at a friend's house and I remembered how she would make her own noodles and spend hours washing the fresh mustard greens and pickle them in salt. Nowadays, you can easily purchase these plastic wrapped pickled mustard greens in Chinese supermarkets. I loved mine served with sambal belachan, a spicy hot chili sauce with shrimp paste) on the side.
Ingredients:
1 lb Shanghai noodles (or fresh or packaged Udon noodles)
½ lb lean grounded pork, or beef
2 (12 oz.) pickled fresh mustard greens (washed and drained well)
2 slices of ginger, minced
5 cups low salt chicken broth
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
2 eggs, beaten (for garnishing)
Fried minced garlic (optional)
Sauce:
1 Tbsp. dark black soy sauce
1 Tbsp. dark sweet sauce
2 tsp. soy paste
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. light soy sauce
2 tsp. Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine)
3 tsp. cornstarch
Method:
1. Mixed the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat some oil in a pan pour half of the egg mixture to form a thin omelet. Flip over and brown both sides of omelette. Remove and cook the rest of the egg mixture to make 2 omelettes. When cooled enough to handle, roll omelettes and cut into thin strips.
2. Heat oil in large saucepan and fry ginger until fragrant but not brown. Fry the mustard greens for about 10 minutes until fragrant. Add the grounded pork and fry until pork is no longer pink and cooked evenly, then add in the sauce ingredients, followed by the 4 cups of the broth. Stir to mix well and turn heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes until greens are soft and sauce has thickened slightly. Add more broth to the mixture if you like it more soupy. Adjust seasonings to your taste.
3. Divide noodles into individual bowls and pour meat sauce gravy on top. Garnish with egg strips and fried garlic.
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Spicy Curry Noodles/Curry Laksa

Curry Laksa, is a popular hawker’s food in Malaysia and Singapore. It goes by many names--Curry Laksa, Curry Mee or Laksa Lemak. It is a spicy noodle dish with a rich flavor of fragrant spices infused in coconut milk. What does the word, Laksa means? Literally, it is the Indonesian word for “ten thousand” perhaps inspired by the many different ingredients that can be placed on top of this noodle dish. There are two types of laksa: a coconut based soup and the tamarind based Assam Laksa. I’ve had many versions--the basic is a rich and spicy coconut gravy with fried tofu, bean sprouts, fish cake, hard boiled egg and cockles (a saltwater clam), accompanied with a hot chili paste. For this post, I will be making the coconut version which I will be prepare with chicken pieces and prawns. For you noodle lovers—shall I tempt you with a bowl of curry laksa?

Ingredients:
1 package cooked yellow or spaghetti noodles
½ lb. fresh prawns, pan fried and shelled
Fried tofu cubes (halved and quartered)
Cockles, scaled and remove meat (optional)
8 chicken thighs, cut into bite sized
1 canned coconut cream
1 ½ cans coconut milk
2 stalks Indian curry leaves
Cooking oil
Spices:
4 stalks lemon grass, chopped in 2-inch lengths
5 candlenuts (buah keras)
10 dried chilies, (pre-soaked in water)
1 piece belachan (2-inch)
1 red onion, chopped
5 shallots, sliced
2 cloves garlic
¾ cup dried shrimps, presoaked
2 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. coriander powder (ketumbar)
Garnishing:
A handful of daun kesom and mint leaves
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
Bean sprouts, scalded
Cucumber, julienned
Method:
1. Blend spices and pre-soaked dried shrimps to a smooth texture and set aside. Cook noodles according to instruction on package.

2. Heat 4 tablespoon of oil in frying pan over high heat. Add in curry leaves and blended spices. Reduce heat and cooked over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is fragrant and most of the liquid has evaporated, with a thin layer of oil on the surface.
3. Add in the chicken meat and fry until the meat is coated with the chili paste. Add in half of the coconut milk and bring to a boil for about 20 minutes or until the full flavor of the spices has impregnated the gravy. Then add in the coconut cream and bring to a boil before turning off heat. Season to taste and add more water or coconut milk if you prefer thinner gravy. Remove from heat and set in a cool place.
4. To serve, simply put a handful of scalded bean sprouts into individual serving bowl and top with cooked noodles. Scoop hot gravy over noodles and garnish with fried prawns, cucumber, daun kesom, mint leaves, eggs and chilli paste.
Cook’s note: You can cook the spice paste ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator. To remove the oily smell from fried tofu cubes, heat some hot boiling water in a pot and add in tofu. Cover and let steep for about 5-8 minutes. Squeeze out excess water from tofu when water has cooled down.
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Three Precious Gem Noodles

Here's a simple dish using what's leftover from the roast duck meat I've made yesterday. You can use any variety of noodles and vegetables of your choice.
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked noodles
½-1 cup cooked duck meat (shredded)
1 piece ginger, julienned
1 cup bok choy, chopped
2 leaves cabbage, cut thinly
1 Tbsp. soy paste
1 Tbsp. duck oil (from duck fat, optional)
pepper to taste
Method:
1. In a frying pan over medium heat oil and fry ginger until fragrant. Add in the duck meat, then cabbage. Fry until the cabbage has just turn soft, then add in the bok choy to cook.
2. Stir in the soy paste and mix with the vegetables. Lastly toss in noodles, stir and season to taste. Serve warm.
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Soba Noodles in Homemade Broth

Noodle is my all-time favorite comfort food. I can have it any day of the week. The different types of noodles come in various shapes and texture--to name a few: soba, udon, ramen, egg noodles, vermicelli. The variation of cooking them is endless, as it can be stir-fry, used in soups or made into dumplings. This is my humble oodles of noodles, perfect of this wintry weather. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 cups of homemade broth
10 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in water to soften
2 slices of fresh ginger
1 cup baby spinach (or any fresh vegetable of your choice)
1/2 lb cooked shrimp
1 tsp. Furikake (Japanese gourmet topping. I used the one with a combination of sesame seeds, nori & bonita flakes)
Cooked udon or soba noodles
Method:
1. In a large saucepan, add broth, ginger and bring to a boil. Sqeezed out most of the ater from the mushrooms and add to the soup. Turn heat to medium low and simmer for about 20 minutes.
2. Cook noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and keep warm. Heat water in a saucepan and scald vegetables. Remove and drain vegetables, add in the shrimps to cook.
3. Serve noodles with hot soup, arrange vegetables, shrimps and sprinkle Furikake seasoning on top.
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Pan-Fried Garlic Noodles

I had this noodles at a restaurant in Palo Alto and am impressed on this easy to prepare dish. The ingredient is garlic and butter and oodles of noodles. I loved how the butter and garlic compliment each other to create a simple and light meal. Needless to say, this dish will keep the vampires at bay!

Ingredients:
1 packet fresh Chinese egg noodles (15 oz)
1 whole garlic, peeled and minced finely
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Cook fresh noodles accordingly to the instructions on the packet.
2. In a frying pan, heat oil on high and toss in noodles. Toss and stir noodles in the hot oil for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.
3. In the same pan, heat butter on medium until butter has melted. Add in minced garlic and chicken bouillon. Fry for about 8-10 minutes until garlic has turned soft but not brown. Remove from heat and add noodles to mix completely with the garlic oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Serve immediately.
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Cold Soba Noodles/Buckwheat Noodles

During the hot summer the heat can be quite unbearable at time and you want something cold and refreshing to eat. This reminds me of a dish--cold soba (buckwheat) noodles with dipping sauce and condiments. Eating it is fun as you pick a small amount of  of each condiments and mix it into your dipping sauce bowl. Then you pick up the noodles and dip it in the sauce and eats it. It is light and refreshing and sure to whet your appetite! Most of the items can be purchased at any Asian or Japanese grocery stores.
Ingredients:
350 gms buckwheat noodles
Condiments: (of your choice and/or availability)
finely grated fresh ginger
finely chopped shiso leaves
finely julienned myoga (Japanese ginger)
finely chopped green onions
finely shredded nori seaweed
toasted sesame seeds (black/white)
Nanami togarashi (flavored pepper)
a dollop of wasabi
Kaeshi:
½ cup Kikomann soya sauce
½ cup mirin, with alcohol base
¼ cup brown sugar
Dashi Stock:
A piece of 4-5 inch dried kombu seaweed
2 packets of bonita flakes
3 cups water
Dipping Sauce:
1 cup of kaeshi
1-2 cups dashi stock
Method:
Kaeshi:
1) Heat the mirin sauce over low heat, then add in soya sauce and sugar. Cook until sugar has melted and remove any scum off the top. Strain and set aside.
Dashi Stock:
2) Presoak the kombu in 3 cups of water for about 15-20 minutes to soften. Bring the water a fast boil and drop in bonita flakes. Turn off heat and cover to let it cool. Strain liquid through a sieve and use your fingers and sqeeze out most of the flavor. Set is aside for later.
Dipping Sauce:
3) In a saucepan simmer kaeshi and dashi stocks over medium heat. Let it simmer for about 5-8 minutes, remove and let cool. Season to taste. You can easily prepare this ahead of time.
Cook the noodles:
1) Add enough water to a large pot and bring to a fast boil. Add the noodles a little at a time. Stir to make sure the noodles are completey covered in water. Turn heat to simmer and cook for about 8 minutes depending on the thickness of the noodles or follow directions on the package.
2) Test the noodle, it should be cooked through but not soft or mushy. Pour the noodles into a colander and reserve some of the water. Run cold water to cool down the noodles. When the noodles are cool enough to handle, take a handful of noodles and wash it under the water until the water is clear. This helps removes any traces of starch on the noodles. Drain well and set aside.
3) Arrange noodles in individual plates and set out dipping bowls for the sauce, and condiments. Fill each dipping bowls halfway with dipping sauce.

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Country Style Egg Noodle Soup/Pan Meen

 

I remembered fondly how my mother used to prepare the dough and we would gathered around the stove to drop in pieces of flattened dough into the water to cook, while a pot of soup stock of ikan bilies(dried anchovies)simmering on the stove. It is so delicious and comforting! "Pan Mein" is served with "Sayor Manis" (Malaysian-Chinese for sujaichoy) and chilli sauce. It is a native plant in Sabah and is commonly known as Sabah vegetable.I am not sure how and where this dish was originated, and the names vary by ethnic groups. It has been called Mein Fun Goh, Pan Meen, or Meehoon Kuih. It is actually a poor man's food where one can get these items with very little money. I never miss this dish when I visit Malaysia.I've seen the local hawkers in Malaysia made the noodles using the pasta machine and the soup is mostly meat bones and sugar--nothing like preparing it yourself at home. You can get dried anchovies in most Asian or Korean supermarkets and substitute baby spinach or Chinese choy sum for the sayor manis.

Dough:
400 gms. plain flour
½ tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup lukewarm water
Soup Stock:
3 ozs.dried anchovies, heads and guts removed
1 chicken carcass
300 gms. pork bones
300 gms. pork meat
1 medium size jicama, peeled and quartered
10 cups of water
1 small piece of ginger, crushed
2 tsp. ikan bilies stock (if available)
2 Tbsp. oil
Garnishing:
1 packet baby spinach, washed and drained
fried dried anchovies
4 pcs. dried cloud ears fungus, soaked to soften and thinly sliced
8-10 dried mushrooms, soak to soften and thinly sliced
2 Tbsps. oil
2 Tbsps. dark soy sauce
2 tsp. oyster sauce
Chilli Sauce:
5-6 red chili deseeded and minced finely
1 tsp. fish sauce
juice of 2 large lemons
salt, and sugar to taste

Method:
1. In a large bowl, add the ingredients for the dough and mix well to incorporate. Add just enough water to dough to form into a pliable dough. Add more water only if necessary. Note: You can pulse the ingredients in a food processor. Wrap dough with plastic and covered in a warm place for at least an hour, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. In a pan,heat oil and fry the anchovies till golden and crispy. Remove half of it and drained in paper towels for garnishing. Add the rest of the anchovies,water, chicken, jicama, ginger, mushroom stems, and meat into a large pot. Bring to a boil. Remove any scum floating on top of the soup and simmer soup on medium heat for about an hour. Season soup to taste.
3. Heat oil in a shallow pan and fry the cloud ear fungus and mushrooms till soft and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove and set aside.
4. In a bowl mix chilies, soy sauce, and fish sauce, and lemon juice together. Set aside.
5. Bring another pot with enough water to a boil with a few drops of oil and salt. Remove dough from the plastic wrap, use your thumb and index fingers,tear small chunks of dough into small pieces and flatten it into thin pieces and drop them into the water. Remove pieces of dough as they float up with a slotted spoon into another bowl. Repeat the same with the rest of the dough. Note: You can prepare the dough with a pasta machine or simply roll out on a floured surface thinly and cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Add the vegetables to the water to cook.
6.Arrange some cooked noodles in individual bowl, add some spinach and spoon hot soup into the bowls. Garnish with mushrooms mixture and fried onions. Serve hot with chili sauce or a dash of sesame seed oil.
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Stir Fried Korean Noodles/ChapJae

Recently I've noticed in my neighborhood there are quite a few Korean restaurants serving authentic Korean cuisine. Seems to me it is getting quite popular, not sure if it is after the popular TV drama, Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace). It is a period drama of a palace maid who became the palace chef and later becoming the first female royal physician of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea.
Anyway, this dish is sometimes serves as an accompaniment with your main course. ChapJae is a transparent noodle cook with meat, vegetables and a piquant sauce of garlic, soy sauce and sesame seed oil. The noodles are made of potato starch and mung bean so it tends to absorbs the other flavors of the other ingredients. The noodle can be easily purchase in Asian or Korean supermarkets. This is my version I've added other ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 packet sweet potato noodles (use only half)
¼ lb chicken, beef, pork, or prawn (optional)
2 shallots, sliced thinly
5 pips garlic, chopped finely
1/2 lb. baby bok choy, cut in strips
1 bag baby spinach (optional)
2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and julienned
1 bunch scallions, chopped finely
8-10 dried shiitake mushrooms, presoaked and sliced thinly
3-4 pieces cloud ear fungus, presoaked and sliced thinly
1 cup firm tofu, cut in thin strips
cilantro for garnishing
Seasoning:
3 Tbsps. vegetable oil
3 Tbsps. sesame seed oil
3 Tbsps. light soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp. tsp. honey
2 Tbsps. sesame seed
salt and pepper
Method:

1. Squeeze out most of the water from the mushrooms and cut into fine strips. Do the same with the cloud ear fungus.

2. Wash and cut vegetables in 2" lengths and julienned bamboo shoots. 

3. In a large pot put enough water to boil over high heat. Cook half of the noodles according to the package instructions. The noodles should be soft and transparent when cooked. Rince in cold water a couple of times. Set aside.

4. In a small skillet, add some 1 tablespoon of oil and brown tofu on both sides. Keep aside.
5. In a large skillet or pot heat oil over medium heat and fry shallots and garlic till soft for about 2-5 minutes. Add in mushrooms and cloud ear fungus and fry for 10 minutes, adding about 2 tablespoon of warm water to let it simmer for another minute.

6. Add the rest of the mushroom, clood ears, tofu, vegetables and cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove from heat.
7. Mix sesame seed oil, soy sauce, and honey together. Season to taste. In another smaller saucepan, simmer the seasoning sauce on low. Add a little more salt or sugar if needed. Remove from heat.

8. To serve: Reheat noodles simply by running noodles in warm water and drain as it tends to stick together. Toss noodles into a larger serving bowl. Using a pair of kitchen scissor, cut noodles to shorten the length. Add in the vegetables followed by the seasonings. Using two spoons toss noodle and vegetables to mix. Season well to taste.
9. Toss in sesame seeds and garnish with cilantro. I love mine with Sriracha hot sauce.

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Noodles in Spicy Sour Soup/Assam Laksa

This dish is a popular hawker food in Penang (northern state in Malaysia). Assam Laksa is aromatic sweet and spicy noodle soup with fish as the main ingredient. The other important ingredient is polygonum (daun kesom). It is served with cucumber, pineapple, mint, and shrimp paste on the side. It's delicious and it's addictive!
Ingredients:
2 cans of mackerel or salmon in salt water, flaked into pieces
5 cups water or fish stock
A bunch of polygonum, washed
3 slices of dried assam gelugar
½ cup tamarind pulp or paste (soak tamarind pulp with water to get the juice)
3-4 pieces assam gelugar (dried tamarind peel)
2 tsp. sugar
1 package dried rice noodles (or 1 lb. fresh "lai fun")
Spices:
3 lemon grass, crushed
1 large onion
3 shallots
1 small piece ginger
1 inch galangar, cut in chunks
1 inch turmeric (or 2 tsp. turmeric powder)
5 dried chillies, soaked in water and remove seeds
1 tsp. shrimp paste (optional)
Garnishing:
1 cup mint leaves, washed and stems removed
1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
1 red onion, sliced
½ cup ripe pineapple, julienned
Method:
1. Blend spices together into a fine paste. In a large pot bring water to a boil, then in ground spices, polygonum and assam gelugar. Bring to a fast boil for about 10 minutes, then add in the fish. Simmer on low heat uncovered for about 20-30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and sugar. Adjust seasoning accordingly to your taste.
2. If using dried noodles, follow cooking instruction on the package. Rinse the fresh noodles in running water. Drain and divide noodles in individual soup bowls.
3. Remove polygonum leaves from the soup. Fill enough soup into the bowls and garnish with the fresh chopped vegetables and fruits. Serve immediately.
Note: If using fresh fish, boil fish in water till cooked. Remove fish and flake flesh from fish, taking care to remove small bones. Strain fish broth to another pot and continue from step 2 above.
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Noodles in Spicy Coconut Milk/Siamese Laksa

Siamese Laksa is a noodle soup with coconut milk and flaked fish gently simmered with the basic ingredients of lemongrass, chilli, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and tumeric. The flavor is rich and spicy with a sweet and sour taste.

Ingredients:

1 packet noodles (Vermicelli or Lai Fun)
2 cans Fish without oil (mackeral or salmon)
8-10 dried chillies, soaked and remove seeds (more or less)

1 large onion, chopped

3 stalks of lemon grass, chopped
4 small tumeric, peeled
3-4 kaffir lime leaves
2" galangal
1" ginger, peeled
2 cans of coconut cream
some oil
½ cup tamarind juice (approximate)
salt and sugar to taste
Garnishing:
1 bunch of polygonum odoratum (also known as daun kesom in Malay)
2 cucumber, peeled and julienned
Method:
1. In a blender of food processor, combine the lemon grass, onion, ginger, tumeric, galangal, a few of the kaffir lime leaves, and ground to a fine paste. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, flake the fish finely. Heat a little oil in deep pot and gently fry the above till fragrant, add some of the coconut cream, and rest of the kaffir leaves. Stir it to mix in medium flame.
3. Add in the fish and adjust the soup with more coconut milk and tamarind juice. Season to taste and simmer for about 8-10 minutes.
4.In another deep pot, bring some water to a fast boil and cook the noodles according to the directions on the packet. Rinse noodles with water and set aside.
5. Serve some noodles in a bowl with laksa gravy, and garnish with the daun kesom and some cucumber.
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